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Assistant referee Kumar misses out on World Cup

According to Arbitro International, assistant referee Ravinesh Kumar (Fiji) was removed from the list of match officials for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In January, he was selected as assistant referee 2 in an OFC trio led by Peter O’Leary (New Zealand).

Kumar (photo) did not participate in the mandatory fitness testing last month in Zurich due to an injury suffered two weeks before that seminar. He was not able to recover and missed the deadline allowed by FIFA for passing the fitness tests. The assistant referee from Fiji participated in the whole selection process, including the 2012 London Olympics, but this year he was forced to decline all his appointments in the OFC Champions League. Kumar will not be replaced by another non-selected assistant referee. His position in the OFC trio will be taken by Mark Rule (New Zealand), initially selected as a reserve assistant referee.